A very gentle and wry outing for Jarmusch and his star.
Broken Flowers (2005)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:181
Fresh:157
Rotten:24
Average Rating:7.5/10
Consensus: Bill Murray's subtle and understated style complements director Jim Jarmusch's minimalist storytelling in this quirky, but deadpan comedy.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language, some graphic nudity and brief drug use
Runtime: 1 hr 46 mins
Genre: Dramas
Theatrical Release:Aug 5, 2005 Limited
Box Office: $13,578,173
Synopsis: With BROKEN FLOWERS, staunchly independent filmmaker Jim Jarmusch delivers one of his most pleasing, accessible pictures. Winner of the 2005 Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, the film tells... With BROKEN FLOWERS, staunchly independent filmmaker Jim Jarmusch delivers one of his most pleasing, accessible pictures. Winner of the 2005 Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, the film tells the story of Don Johnston (Bill Murray), a man overflowing with wealth but void of emotion. On the day that his most recent girlfriend (Julie Delpy) has given up on him for good, he learns, through an anonymous letter, that he might be the father of a 19-year-old boy. Spurned into action by his wannabe private eye neighbor, Winston (Jeffrey Wright), Don sets off on a personal journey to visit the former partners who may or may not have mothered his child. They include the flighty Laura (Sharon Stone), whose daughter Lolita (Alexis Dziena) certainly lives up to her name; the uptight Dora (Frances Conroy), who has settled into a sterile life with her chipper husband, Ron (Christopher McDonald); the strangely distant Carmen (Jessica Lange), who makes a living as an "animal communicator;" and, finally, Penny (Tilda Swinton), a hard-edged biker who is the least happiest to see Don. Each confrontation leaves Don feeling more lost than the last, spinning him into an even greater state of apathetic confusion. In typical Jarmusch fashion, he wrote the script for BROKEN FLOWERS with his casting firmly in mind: only Murray could play this role. The result showcases Murray's brilliance as a less-is-more presence. Jarmusch also gives some of Hollywood's most talented female actresses roles they can relish. A hundred percent Jarmusch, BROKEN FLOWERS is a wry, tender, and bittersweet portrait of a man who is drifting aimlessly through life. [More]
Starring: Bill Murray, Jeffrey Wright, Sharon Stone, Tilda Swinton
Starring: Bill Murray, Jeffrey Wright, Sharon Stone, Tilda Swinton, Julie Delpy, Jessica Lange
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Screenwriter: Jim Jarmusch
Producer: Jon Kilik, Stacey E. Smith, Jim Jarmusch
Studio: Focus Features
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Reviews for Broken Flowers
A numbed, exhausting rigidity -- which could be read as an echo of whatever's bugging Don for reasons that are clearly none of our business -- infects the whole movie.
Broken Flowers won't win any fans for Jarmusch or late-model Murray, but as an eloquent and compassionate study of regret and self-mourning, it's a wonder.
I'm not sure how to define an art film any more. But I do know that Jim Jarmusch's latest, "Broken Flowers,' is an art film, and it's out-arted itself right out of an ending.
Deadpan funny drama, played against a minimalist backdrop, brings home some simple truths about the desperate lives most people lead.
...a compelling portrait of loneliness that is the best movie of the year so far.
Murray's performance in [the film's] last sequence is quite possibly the best bit of acting he has ever done.
Despite occupying nearly every scene, Bill Murray is a virtual non-presence in Jim Jarmusch’s latest puzzler.
When the end credits started to roll, an awed numbness came over me; I was more moved by the film than I had expected, and I knew I had seen something great.
Jim Jarmusch writes and directs the darkly comic relationship drama. With Bill Murray in the lead role, it's a marriage made in subtly droll heaven.
Murray does what a lot of great actors do, using film as a way of discovering more about himself.
Jarmusch Fails Murray by Failing to Offer Visual Poetry to an Empty Vaccum of Pathetic Despair
Watching Murray alongside a daffy collection of former girlfriends is akin to the pleasure of seeing a staring Jack Benny surrounded by his wild TV cast.
“Broken Flowers” is a time capsule contemplation of an American generational zeitgeist similar to that in John Sayles’ terrific “The Return Of The Secaucus Seven.”
Jarmusch doesn't just let the audience be a fly on the wall; it's more like the whole ant and the magnifying glass experiment on a hot summer day.
Jarmusch is the director of... discursive movies long on character and short on plot.
Jarmusch's movies are rigorously strategized and impeccably designed, and his attention to detail testifies to an intense commitment to a personal vision.
Brilliantly complex and vivid performances make this film a moving exploration of all we do to find meaning in our lives.
Forget all of those critics' raves about it being a masterpiece. ... The film's joys are slight and derive mainly from the story's baffling mystery.
Latest News for Broken Flowers
March 30, 2006:
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This week at the movies, we've got a pair of sequels that will appeal to widely disparate demographics ("Ice Age 2: The Meltdown," "Basic Instinct 2"), a... More...
January 10, 2006:
Online Film Critics Offer Their Annual Nominations
The OFCS, which is hosted right here at Rotten Tomatoes and (full disclosure) includes yours truly as a member, announced their year-end nominations yesterday ... and we hope... More...
December 23, 2005:
San Diego, Vegas & Utah Critics Make Their Year-End Picks
Thanks again to MovieCityNews.com for keeping us up-to-date on all the year-end critics flick-picks. This time it's the San Diego, Las Vegas and Utah reviewers who share their... More...
October 05, 2005:
Summer Tomatometer Wrap-up #3: The Best of the Limited Releases
In the hot summer months, everyone's looking for a way to cool down. This summer, movie audiences decided one of the best places to beat the heat was in the barren,... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 82% 82% | Paranormal Activity |
| 57% 57% | 9 |
| 44% 44% | Jennifer's Body |
| 58% 58% | A Perfect Getaway |
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